What a way to start off this blog with arguably Chicago's best back to back high school basketball match-ups this season with the Morgan Park Mustangs vs. Rock Island Rocks and the nightcap with the #1 team in the state in the Simeon Wolverines vs the #2 team in the state in the Benet Red Wings Saturday night (2/19/11) @ the UIC Pavilion. The nightcap doesn't need an explanation on why this game is so important, but the first of these two games features two future college stars worth mentioning. And let the preview begin.....
Game 1- 6:00 pm CST, Morgan Park (11-5 overall) vs Rock Island (22-2 overall)
Morgan Park- Why to watch: One player in particular stands out above the rest... SG Wayne Blackshear (6-5, 215 lbs, Signed with Louisville). Blackshear is the only McDonald's All-American to set foot on the court of the UIC Pavilion tomorrow (Possible Future McDonald's All-Americans in future classes for Simeon and Morgan Park). What makes Blackshear so special is his college-ready body as a high school senior. Blackshear has the ideal size for a shooting guard as well as the skill. This highly coveted senior received offers from the University of Illinois, Michigan State University, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, and Marquette amongst others. Rick Pitino was able to land Blackshear even after he reportedly took his verbal commitment to a soft verbal after DePaul hired Oliver Purnell, but eventually signed on as Louisville's top recruit. His combination of acceleration to the hoop and his sharp-shooting ability makes him tough to guard. Ever since his days at Curie High School in Chicago, Blackshear has always had the physically ability. Though not the best three point shooter, his mid-range game is one of the best in the state. I will be watching his ability to navigate around and through defenders. As the best senior in any of these two games, I expect to see one of the more dominating performances, and if I rub Ms. Cleo's crystal ball, I see 19 pts, 11 rbs, 4 blocks.
Other Players of note on Morgan Park: Sr. SG Jerome Morgan (6-4, 190 lbs, committed to UIC), So PG Billy Garrett, Jr. (6-2, 165 lbs, considering UNLV, DePaul), So SG Terrance Quinn (6-0, 160 lbs, no offers)
Rock Island- Why to watch: Though the overall record is better than Morgan Park, Rock Island did not play the superior competition that Morgan Park did. Not known for being a factory of high-end basketball players, Rock Island definitely has a gem in Sr. combo guard Chasson Randle (6-1, 180 lbs, signed with Stanford). Randle is an above average shooter for a point guard but does not have the size to be a shooting guard. In order to be successful in Palo Alto, Randle will have to develop his passing ability to match his shot. Because his point guard skills are still developing, Randle is still a project. The upside for him, however, is about as high as any other point guard in this glass. Randle heavily considered Purdue and the University of Illinois, but the opportunity to start right away for an up and coming Pac 10 team was too good to pass up. As far as Illinois high school players go, due to the high school he plays at, not too many people have seen him play. Seeing as how Randle is the straw that stirs the Rock Island drink, I expect to see a 7-9 assist game from Randle. More important than his scoring stats, the amount of assists he piles up will show his progression as a point guard from his sophomore year until now.
Final Ponderings- Chasson Randle and Wayne Blackshear are enough to make this game exciting. Since this is not a playground 1-on-1 game, the surrounding pieces to these stars will decide who takes the cake. Because of this, Morgan Park has the edge with their slue of sophomore sidekicks lead by Jerome Morgan to win this game.
Game 2- 8:00 pm CST Simeon (22-1 overall) vs. Benet Academy (25-0 overall)
Simeon- Why to watch: The real question is why not watch. I could create a whole different blog on why the Simeon Wolverines are a must watch. This storied high school basketball program has a potential 8 Division 1 players on the roster now, which is probably more than some college teams in Illinois can say. Simeon Academy is ranked #4 in the whole country and until this last Wednesday, was undefeated. With the city championship dreams dashed by Sam Thompson (Ohio State signee) and Whitney Young High School, Simeon will have to have one of their best games of the season to avoid a loosing streak. Fortunately for Simeon, So SF Jabari Parker (6-7, 220 lbs) plays for them. Parker is quite possibly the best high school prospect from Chicago since Derrick Rose graduated Simeon (or at least that is what John Calipari will have you believe) and left for Memphis before becoming one of the best players in the NBA today. Parker has college coaches drooling like Pavlov's Dog with his size, strength, and overall skill. Every recruiting website has Parker in the top 10 in the class of 2013. Schools that have been going after Parker include Duke, Illinois, Michigan State, DePaul, Georgetown, Kansas, Washington, Ohio State, and Marquette amongst several other offers. According to Parker in an ESPN.com interview, he models his game after Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce and with his current physique (I'm not coming on to him but if high school girls were smart, they would) it is easy to see how close he is to their games. With Parker's basketball-rich background, his dad Sonny played 7 seasons in the NBA, Parker has the right people behind him to make sure he stays on a direct path to stardom.
Another star in the making is So SG Kendrick Nunn (6-2, 170 lbs). Nunn burst onto the recruiting scene against Lew Wallace High School and Michigan State bound and Top 20 Sr SF Brandon Dawson by putting on a 3-point shooting display and leading Simeon in scoring on his ESPN debut. If Nunn was a couple inches bigger, he would be right up there with Parker as one of the top players in the class of 2013. Schools like DePaul, Memphis, and Xavier have offered Nunn and many more have definitely taken notice. While Parker gets all the limelight as the primetime player on Simeon, Nunn does an excellent job in his supporting roll getting his. Nunn did not have his best game so I expect him to rebound and show why he continues to climb up all the recruiting boards as a top 50 player in the class of 2013.
Other Players of note for Simeon: Sr PF Ahman Fells (6-4, 185 lbs, signed with UIC), Jr. PF Steve Taylor (6-7, 175 lbs, considering DePaul, New Mexico, Southern Illinois, Xavier)
Benet- Why to watch: Unlike the other 3 teams, Benet does not have one huge star that is the face of the team. The Red Wings have two very good seniors to lead the way. Outside of Simeon, this could be the most complete team in which team basketball wins games rather than stellar play by stellar players. However, this does not mean they don't have great players. Two of them stand out: Sr. C Frank Kaminsky (6-10, 220 lbs, signed with Wisconsin) and Sr. PG David Sobolewski (6-1, 185 lbs, signed with Northwestern). The one with the best upside would be Kaminsky who also received offers from Southern Illinois, Bradley, DePaul, and Northwestern. This future Badger has great size and the frame to add on a lot more muscle. Kaminsky fits the Bo Ryan mold of tall, face-up frontcourt players like Brian Butch, Jon Leuer, and Dave Mader. With his size, Kaminsky will be the biggest player on the court. As for Sobolewski, he sets the table about as good as any point guard in tomorrows games. His passing ability overshadows his shooting accuracy, though his long range shot is very good. I expect Sobolewski to lead his team up and down the court like David Wells lead his teammates through the buffet line. This inside-out combination will be a tough match-up as Benet looks to continue their undefeated season.
Other players to watch: Fr PF/C Sean O'Mara (6-6, 240 lbs, unofficial offer from Illinois)
Final Ponderings: Simeon will look to bounce back after their first loss of the season. Simeon is the most talented high school team in Illinois and argueably the entire country. This does not always translate into wins, though. Benet will not only need big games from their two stars but also somebody else to take the pressure off of them. I expect a big game from Nunn and the typical aw-inspiring performance from Parker. Steve Taylor has improved his game over the last couple of months and that frontcourt depth should outweigh the size that Kaminski has. Since Benet plays more of a possession game rather than an up and down game like Simeon likes to play, I expect this to be lower scoring. In the end, the talent and athleticism will be too much for Benet as the current #1 team in the state will prevail.
Upcoming Post- Results of these games (TBA)
Sources: http://www.maxpreps.com/local/stats/pregame.aspx?contestid=02313a52-3c5a-4c01-b057-60479105410d&ssid=09200a30-6be4-4e87-b709-1caf1bd8617a
http://www.maxpreps.com/local/stats/pregame.aspx?contestid=686df61e-1021-4765-9f35-3e6f643ac341&ssid=09200a30-6be4-4e87-b709-1caf1bd8617a
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/prospects/
http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/recruit-search-results;_ylt=ApxDQGCDhhsgM0FbR79aio7WO5B4?sport=basketball&year=2011&hometown=Chicago&state=Illinois
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